engagement with your clients !
Building Relationship
First , focus on building a relationship of trust . This is very different from the common transactional interactions that we see with many businesses that we deal with . The point to remember is that engagement is about a relationship , not one-off transactions .
We cannot expect to build a sustainable relationship casually or over a short term . Even in our personal relationships , we do not achieve a strong relationship over a short period of time . In actual fact , if you try to build a relationship over a short time , what you end up with is vulnerable relationships . This implies that you think that you have a strong relationship , but when a problem arises you will realize that you are operating in a vulnerable terrain .
Therefore , to build a strong relationship with customers you need to take time , gather information , test different approaches and get to understand them so well , that your selling efforts will become superfluous . In other words , ‘ your products will sell themselves ’ as Peter Drucker asserted .
To build a strong relationship , you need to keep interacting with each other over time , and ensuring that you are not always talking about the things you need , or what you want them to do . You have to be talking about the things that are beneficial to the client . This way you will be investing in building a two-way relationship . There has to be a sense of give-and-take that comes from a mutually beneficial relationship .
To build a sustainable relationship , you have to think from a long-term perspective because a relationship that generates sustainable value and inspires customer loyalty and evangelism takes time to build . It ’ s only with repeated quality interactions that customers will have the kind of confidence needed for them to feel that this is a genuine relationship , and no longer a transactional interface . They need to come to the point where they feel confident that they can come back again and again , and expect the same treatment that they have become accustomed to , if not better !
Ask Questions
The second way to enhance customer
One of the surest ways of building engagement is to ask questions . When you ask questions to clients , they feel that you are interested in them as people and their opinions . You may ask questions about how they spend their day , how your product fits in their lives , how you can add greater value , or how you can serve them better .
engagement is to ask questions . One of the surest ways of building engagement is to ask questions . When you ask questions to clients , they feel that you are interested in them as people and their opinions . You may ask questions about how they spend their day , how your product fits in their lives , how you can add greater value , or how you can serve them better .
You can ask them all manner of questions so long as they are relevant to the situation . By asking and then listening keenly to the feedback , you can gain insights which you can use to actually enhance your service to them , and to build a greater relationship .
Asking questions is a good way to create a strong engaging conversation because you ask and they respond , and then they feel free to also ask you some questions too . This way , you will learn more about their interests and the place your product occupies in their lives , and you will be able to develop content that is likely to appeal to them and help you keep connected .
I recently saw a marketing communication by Vaseline and I instinctively knew that this communication was based on information they got from engaging their customers through asking questions . I felt that they must have engaged their customers and listened for the feedback keenly to be able to develop that kind of advertisement . This is a communication that shows the many different ways that people use Vaseline , and you can tell that this is information that you can only get from customers .
A person who has been using the product for long , may develop different homegrown new ways to use it , so that when you ask them , you will get many relevant uses that you can promote to other customers to add value to their lives .
The engagement is in the questioning , the answers , keen listening , feedback , sharing , and talking together , the way good friends talk over-time .
Explore Customer ’ s Journey
Third , explore your customer ’ s journey . You do this in order to understand the customer experience in using your product or service . You want to know how the customer interacts with your business in the different stages of obtaining your service .
In customer journey mapping , you need to look at the entire process from how you identify prospects , how you start to engage them in the acquisition process , the information you share , how you interact during the buying process , the challenges they face , and how you gather insights to overcome any challenges that come along .
By paying close attention to how customers interact with your business , you can find ways to improve quality and enhance customer experience . I like how Peter Drucker put it , “ quality in a service or product is not what you put in , but what the customer gets out ”.
Another idea about customer journey mapping is to identify the pain-points that customers have in engaging with your service and to find a way to address them . Some time ago , I was speaking at the Association of Kenya Insurers Industry Annual Awards Ceremony , and I asked an open question to the huge plenary with over 1000 people . This is what I asked , “ What is the greatest point of pain in the customer service journey in insurance ?” The MC gave out the microphone , and the answer came loud and clear from someone in the audience , “ claim processing ”. There
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